Tag: OSHA inspection

MCM Events welcomes another speaker at the jointly held Crane & Rigging Conference and Industrial Crane & Hoist Conference at the Hampton Inn Hotel & Suites New Orleans-Convention Center, New Orleans, La. The conferences will take place May 23-24, 2012. Tom Reardon, Training Manager, Hoists and Cranes, for Columbus McKinnon Corporation, will provide an overview of OSHA 1910.179, as well as explore crane configurations, regulations, and standards for the industry.
“Many of us have experienced the concern prompted by crane inspection reports listing discrepancies as OSHA violations. Not all of these reports are accurate,” says Reardon. “Some confusion exists among crane and hoist owners, users, and service providers regarding crane configurations and the application of OSHA 1910.179 regulations.”

It is essential that investigations be conducted as fact finding not fault finding. What happened? Don’t look for blame in an investigation – just the facts.

Have an established well-developed Investigation Plan. This should be a preplanned process. The person conducting the investigation should have authority and training. Documentation and good methodology will lead to correct identification of root causes and proper corrective action. After the investigation there should be follow-ups and reviews of the actions about to be taken and the actions that were taken to eliminate future accidents.

About this time each year, OSHA releases a list of those facilities subject to an OSHA “head to toe” inspection because of their rate for severe injuries. This year’s list of 15,000 facilities looking forward to an OSHA inspection is out with a new concern: the costs of violations could skyrocket with some of the “New OSHA” policies.

A newsletter written by McDermott, Will and Emery outlines possible actions that can be taken if your facility has made OSHA’s list.

For those facilities not on the list, don’t breathe a sigh of relief just yet. OSHA also has special emphasis programs out for inspection of chemical plants and construction sites receiving Recovery Act funding. Based upon the possibility of a compliance inspection, this year may be the year to actually use the OSHA consultation services rather than risk fines that can rise exponentially when they are multiplied by headcount.

Columbus McKinnon can help you provide a safer workplace for your employees and prepare for OSHA inspections. We provide training on a variety of material handling topics, including hoist inspections and proper rigging techniques.